22Synonyms found for telegraph

Word Origin & History

telegraph 1794, "semaphor apparatus" (hence the Telegraph Hill in many cities), lit. "that which writes at a distance," from Fr. télégraphe, from télé- "far" (from Gk. tele-; see tele-) + -graphe. The signaling device had been invented in France in 1791 by the brothers Chappe, who had called it tachygraphe, lit. "that which writes fast," but the better name was suggested to them by Fr. diplomat Comte André-François Miot de Mélito (1762-1841). First applied 1797 to an experimental electric telegraph (designed by Dr. Don Francisco Salva at Barcelona); ...the practical version was developed 1830s by Samuel Morse. The verb is attested from 1805; fig. meaning "to signal one's intentions" is first attested 1925, originally in boxing. Related: Telegraphic.